rapid heart rate at rest of 160

[tessielea]

Two years ago my husband was not feeling well, heart was always racing. He had an echocardiogram and stress test of which showed no irregularity. He then went to our primary physician who put a Holter monitor on for 24 hrs. This came back showing his sleeping heart rate to be 150-160 beats per minute. Our phyiscian put him on toprol or metoproolol. He was on 25mg. for over a year and then put on 50mg and his resting heart rate is still 100 +. Could there be some unerlying problem that this medication is not catching? He is only 56 years old.

[jimgreg]

i mtotal agree with Jerry here try  anther beta blocker..that way out of whack 160 bpm.// you would think that it would be a fibb...my grandmother use to wake up with spells were her heart would get out of rythem./..about 190 bpm..then they gave her a shot then ok...this happend alot..soi they put a pace maker in to regulate the bpm...

[Jerry_NJ]

Your information confirms via Holter that he has a high HR when sleeping.  Perhaps he has nightmares that is causing the "fight or flight" response in his body.  You didn't mention any condition, such as atrial fibrillation, that could be the cause, I assume none were noted on the Holter or EKG tests, or even stethoscope can pick AFib up.

Metoprolol is the normal beta blocker for lowering HR and BP, but it doesn't work the same in all people, maybe a change to another medication should be tried. One advantage for Metoprolol is its wide-spread experience (safety) and generic lower cost.  Oh, I am on Metoprolol to lower my high HR driven by AFib.  I take 150 mg a day, 50 in the morning, 100 before bed time.  Maybe such a level would help your husband too, but don't change based on my experience (I'm normally in the 80s when at rest, I in the 70s after being in bed for 30 minutes, say, reading, I don't know where it is when I'm asleep. Taking the higher dose before bed time eliminates any problem for dizziness (which high dose can cause) and would specifically address the time your husband was recorded at the very high HR.

Talk it over with the doctor, is my recommendation.